Improvement in combined sails and marine drags



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Eombined Sails and Marine Drags Patenied March25,1873

UNITED STATEs PATENT OFFICE.

THOMAS M. FLEETWOOD, or SAVANNAH, GEORGIA.

IMPROVEMENT IN COMBINED SAILS AND MARINE DRAGs.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 137,190, dated March 25, 1873.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, THOMAS M. FLEET- WOOD, of Savannah, in the county of Chatham and State of Georgia, have invented a Combined Drag and Sail for Boats, Life- Rafts, and other floating vehicles or vessels, of which the following is a specification:

My invention consists in a novel construction of drag or drag-sheet, which not only has an improved hold upon the water to keep the boat or other vessels head to the sea, or act as a floating-anchor to a life-raft, as the case may be, but which is readily convertible into a sail after its use as a drag has become unnecessary, and may otherwise be used to advantage in saving life or property.

In the accompanying drawing, which forms part of this specification, Figure 1 represents a view in perspective of my improvement applied as a drag to a boat; Fig. 2, a view of the same applied as a sail; and Fig. 3, a face or top view of the contrivance upon a larger scale than in the previous figures.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.

A is a spar of suitable size and construction to form a mast for a boat or raft, and to which end it may be reduced, and squared at its one end to fit the usual step in the bottom of the boat. Bis a sail or sheet of an approximately square orparallelogrammic shape, attached at its one end or edge to the spar, and having a rod, 0, of galvanized iron or other metal, passed through a tuck, b, in its opposite end or edge to facilitate removal when required to convert the drag into a sail. This bar is of sufficient weight to just sink the drag, and to each end of it is attached a line, arranged to extend from points along opposite edges of the sail between the spar A and the bar 0 to form a catch or bag, f, in

the sail, which is free to bulge outward from either side of the sail.

When used as a drag the device is attached to or connected with the boat or raft by a cen' tral or main line, g, and an gle-lines h attached to opposite ends of the spar. The bag or belly f gives the drag a most effective hold or clutch upon the water and will serve without fail to keep the boat or raft up to the sea.

When not required to be used it may readily be rolled up, and forms an equipm'entwith which every ships boat may be provided.

After being used as a drag to a boat or raft cast adrift from a ship in distress it may readily be converted, on subsidence of the gale, into a sail to said boat or raft by suitably rigging it, the spar A answering as a mast, as represented in Fig. 2, said sail,by doubling or suitably rigging it, being, instead of square, as shown in Fig. 2, easily made into a sprit or leg-of-mutton sail. It may also be used as a tent or shelter, and on many occasions as an aid in landing on a beach in heavy sea, especially if the wind be blowing 011 shore.

This combined drag and sail is simple; requirin g little or no skill to use it; cannot get foul by any means; can be placed overboard with ease by any one from the boat or raft or from the ship after the boat or raft is launched; and can easily be taken in the boat after the blow is over; and, in due course, as hereinbefore referred to, be readily converted from a most efficient drag to a sail for navigating the boat or raft; as also forming a signal that may be discovered by a passing vessel. In these and in other respects it is superior to other ships or boat drags made of canvas and various materials.

What is here claimed, and desired to be secured by Letters Patent, is

The combination of the spar A, constructed to form'a mast, the sheet or sail B, the metal bar 0, and the tuck-ropes d d, substantially as and for the purpose herein set forth.

THOS. M. FLEETWOOD.

Witnesses MIoHAEL RYAN, FRED HAYNES. 

